Director, Corporate Strategy

About the role

We are seeking a strong strategic thinker who is able to help define and accelerate Circana’s growth trajectory. You will play a critical role in the Corporate Strategy group by driving the end-to-end aspects of creating and operationalizing the strategies required to drive growth from both our existing business and new and emerging business models.

Responsibilities

• Lead and participate in the design and iteration of corporate strategy; drive the strategic planning process, acting as a trusted advisor to Circana’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and relevant stakeholders during strategy formulation, development, and execution.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the business to ensure Circana’s business unit, functional, and regional strategies are aligned to advance the goals of the overall business.
• Spearheading portfolio strategy & optimization efforts to create competitive advantage and maximize value creation.
• Direct and coordinate critical company transformation initiatives, including prioritization of projects, development of business cases, supporting implementation plans, and coordinating with relevant business leaders.
• Play a key role in corporate acquisitions, joint ventures, and divestiture efforts, providing support throughout the deal lifecycle including identification, assessment, diligence, planning, and execution.
• Support multiple projects that require overall problem structuring, strategy formulation and quantitative / qualitative analysis (e.g., white space opportunity sizing, geographic expansion, portfolio analysis, competitive landscape).
• Responsible for working closely with senior management, coordinating, and developing Board presentations in support of key strategic outputs.
• Identify and evaluate how AI, GenAI, and emerging technologies can reshape Circana's offerings, operating model, and markets; translate these shifts into actionable strategic recommendations and business cases for the ELT.

Requirements

• 5+ years of relevant strategy experience; with at least 2+ years of experience with a top-tier strategy consulting firm.
• MBA strongly preferred, Bachelor’s degree required (preferably in the areas of Business or Operations concentration, i.e., Finance, Engineering, Economics, etc.).
• Industry experience in the consumer products, consumer services, retail sectors, software, analytics or business intelligence sectors is desired.
• Mastery of strategy craft skills (hypothesis-driven thinking, project scoping, lean testing, financial and business modeling, strategic option identification, and rigorous data analytics).
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor a talented and driven strategy team in the development and execution of strategic initiatives; excellent people development and leadership skills.
• Able to manage multiple extended or virtual teams.
• Demonstrated curiosity about and working fluency in AI/GenAI and its strategic implications; experience assessing how emerging technologies disrupt business models and create new growth opportunities is a strong plus.
• Project management experience on an international scale, providing strategic leadership for multiple programs simultaneously in a cross-functional business.
• Experience with other strategic transactions including partnerships, alliances or joint ventures.
• Strong financial acumen, Excel modeling skills and experience applying those skills to business development, operations and other projects.
• Excellent communications skills. Must be able to effectively and succinctly communicate in writing and orally to executive management.
• An entrepreneurial, creative thinker with an action-oriented approach characterized by speed and productivity.
• An ability to operate at the highest ethical levels and project this integrity to customers and employees.
• Ability to perform with high pressure and short timelines.

Benefits

Circana offers a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.

Pay

The salary range for this role is $140,000.00 to $180,000.00 USD. This job is also eligible for bonus pay.

Schedule

This position can be located in the following area(s): Hybrid: Chicago, IL or New York, NY.